Fletcher Living has unveiled the masterplan for its latest residential project, 'The Hill,' a premium development poised to transform part of the iconic Ellerslie Racecourse.
Fletcher Living is nearing completion on the first four standalone homes at the under-construction $500 million The Hill housing estate on ex-horse racing land in Ellerslie.
Chief executive Steve Evans showed off those two-level homes at the northern-most end of the 6.2ha site bought from Auckland Thoroughbred Racing in 2021for what was said to be more than $100 million although no price was disclosed.
Steve Evans with the model of The Hill in the display suite and showroom, 99 Ladies Mile, Ellerslie. Photo / Carson Bluck
Piles are being driven for Naylor Love to build the 50-unit six-level Belvedere, the first of four higher-rise blocks, including one planned track-side for Fletcher Living’s Vivid retirement village brand.
All up, just under 400 new residences are planned on what Fletcher refers to as Remuera, with the site on Ladies Mile near Abbots Way in the Peach Pde/Derby Downs Pl vicinity.
Fletcher will ask around $3m each for those first four homes.
Evans said the company would work on the wider site for a further five years, having started by contouring the steeply sloping ex-steeplechase area.
Civil engineering and earthmoving business March Cato is working at The Hill site, contouring the steep grade for new homes. Photo / Carson Bluck
A stormwater catchment pond was moved. Fletcher built a new pond which Evans estimated was 100m long, 30m wide and 20m deep.
All stormwater from The Hill estate was fed downhill to that pond with overflow mechanisms. The horse racing business uses that to irrigate its StrathAyr track.
That new pond is beside the nine-hole Ellerslie Driving Range.
Civil engineering construction business March Cato won the contract for the earthworks at The Hill, creating level platforms for the new homes. March Cato worked for Fletcher Living at Stonefields, he said.
Around 20 subcontractors have been employed by Fletcher Living to build The Hill. Evans stressed his company kept oversight.
One-bedroom, level-one, 63sq m, one-car park Belvedere units start from $999,000.
The Auckland Thoroughbred Racing track with The Hill above it, where Fletcher Living is building hundreds of new homes. Photo / Carson Bluck
A level-six, 125sq m unit with a 17sq m balcony and two carparks is advertised at $3.1m.
Five level-six units are marked pre-sold and Evans said April 2027 was the target date for settlement of sales.
Deposits were paid on 21 of the 50 units “so we’ve got past the hurdle”.
Work on developing new homes at The Hill on May 6, 2025. Photo / Carson Bluck
Apartments, duplexes, terraced and detached houses are all planned. Street lighting, kerbing and some footpaths have been formed on the upper loop road.
Two neighbouring six-level apartment blocks, each of 70 units, will rise beside Belvedere. Warren & Mahoney designed those three blocks.
Four apartment buildings are planned at The Hill. Steve Evans, of Fletcher Living, explains the layout with the scale model. Photo / Carson Bluck
Remuera down-sizers with multimillion-dollar homes and those keen on horse racing were some of the targets for sales.
Fletcher had to resolve how not to blind horses with sun from the windows of the new homes so close to where they are racing. Evans cited this issue at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm and Melbourne’s Flemington.
Civil engineering construction specialists March Cato won the earthworks contract for The Hill on the ex-Ellerslie racing land. Photo / Carson Bluck
Another issue was contaminated land due to the use for the storage of pipes containing asbestos, Evans said.
Paul Wilcox, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing chief executive, has acknowledged that the land sale been a controversial topic but said the industry would see the benefits, particularly with increased stakes.
Fletcher won fast-track consent for the project.
An architectural design statement submitted by Warren & Mahoney referred to the layout of housing precincts being developed around vistas to the racecourse.
The 6.2ha site of The Hill in the Ellerslie/Remuera area by early May. Photo / Carson Bluck
The Environmental Protection Authority said an expert consenting panel agreed to fast-track planning consent on May 16, 2023.
Concerns were raised from those invited to submit including neighbours.
Traffic congestion, safety, construction traffic, parking, emergency vehicle access and construction-related effects including vibration, dust, air quality and contaminated land were raised.
A model shows apartments at the top off Ladies Mile, and standalone and terraced homes further down nearer the track in plans for The Hill at Ellerslie/Remuera. Photo / Carson Bluck
Effects on property values, lack of capacity at local schools, consultation with neighbouring landowners and fast-tracking were other issues raised.
The land was an undulating site at the racecourse’s eastern end, largely grassed, containing a section of the track once used as the steeplechase, the authority’s documents noted.
A dwelling, which was the manager’s cottage, was on that site.
Evans said $1m was spent renovating and extending that white weatherboard home at 99 Ladies Mile. It is now a display suite and showroom.
“We’re galloping ahead,” he said of the wider project.
The Hill by Fletcher Living
400 homes and a retirement village planned
Rising on 6.2ha of ex-Ellerslie horse racing land
The site is off Ladies Mile
Units start from $999,000 each
Naylor Love building first apartments: Belvedere
Earthworks by civil business March Cato
Around 20 subcontractors are working on site
Completion expected around 2030
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
